The concentration of Indian restaurants in Lake Mary rivals that of South Orange Blossom Trail, with mainstays Memories of India, 5th Element and Royal Rasoi competing with newbies like Persis Indian Grill and Nawabi Hyderabad House for tandoor supremacy. The newest entrant, Tamara Modern Cuisine, aims to lure the moneyed folks of Heathrow while attracting a younger demographic to their social media-friendly confines. I mean, why else the neon signs and backdrop-ready ersatz vegetation on its walls and ceilings?
There’s a ton of it, as well. Tamara, it seems, comes from the “more is more” school of restauranting: floor-length white tablecloths weren’t just dated, they annoyingly bunched on our laps, though I later came to learn my dining companion used the extra material as a napkin (showed me the food stains to prove it, too); and the bill of fare reads like a weighty tome, with chapter headings such as “Zuppa” (they went Italian for some reason), “Garden Bowl,” “Herbivore Appetizers,” “Carnivore Appetizers,” “Kabob Junction” (choo! choo!), “Build Your Indo-Asian,” “Tamara’s Trademark,” “Veg Delights,” “Non-Veg delights,” “Tamara Delicacy,” “Biryani” and “Quick Meals,” to name just a dozen.
It’s a confusing mess of a menu that had us throwing our hands up and asking for recs. “I don’t advise anything from Build Your Indo-Asian,” said the server and with that hilarious declaration, pointed to us toward the forest chaat ($14) and kothey chicken momos ($15) to start. But before digging into those apps, I ordered a half-priced happy hour cocktail called the “Heart of Paan” ($7.50) that really matched the fragrant essence of that traditional after-dinner betel leaf folded and filled with heady stimulants and digestive crunchy things. I quite enjoyed the sweet/sour quaff with its paan-infused vodka, as I did the besan flour-battered, deep-fried greens of the forest chaat. Tangy chutney, sweet yogurt and sev (fried chickpea noodles) top the fritters. The baffling part is that they were served inside a waffle cone bowl, like a few scoops of ice cream. There are some zany attempts at fusion here — Tex-Mex Kurkure nachos, tandoori Caesar salad, focaccia vada and lamb ghost-pepper fry tacos being a few examples. The recommended momos, fried rather than steamed, resembled mini empanadas more than Nepali-style dumplings, though the chicken filling was nicely spiced. Samosas ($13 for three) weren’t particularly remarkable, save for their smooth, unblemished exteriors. Quite the feat for a deep-fried pastry.
What was remarkable, however, and perhaps a dish Tamara does better than any other restaurant in Central Florida (sorry, Parea), were the tandoor-fired lamb chops ($35), a “Kabob Junction” offering. We chose to have them marinated in the “Afghani style” — that is, in yogurt and an “aromatic” spice blend — and wow, just wow. The char, the ultra-tender texture, the mess of grilled onions and pepper slivers … everything about these lamb chops made them worth the drive to Lake Mary. Moilee ($23), a creamy, curry-leaved, turmeric-leaning Keralan coconut curry with Portuguese roots, is the sort of fusion I could get behind. We ordered it with malai-braised chicken, but realized later that it would’ve been even better, and truer to the Keralan way of enjoying it, with fish.
No matter the region of the Indian subcontinent, dal is a unifying dish, and Tamara’s dal fry ($22) unified the position of all at the table — this was a top-tier lentil curry. What made it top tier was the tadka, the tempering of aromatic spices, onions and tomato bloomed in ghee. Scooping it up with flaky paratha ($6) was the epitome of comfort.
Desserts, like a decent mango rasmalai tres leches ($15), aren’t immune from the fusion gameplay, but this one worked. In fact, a lot of the food here did, so it should come as no surprise that a doggie bag filled with goods was packed to go.
And believe me, I scarfed those leftovers like there was no Tamara.
Tamara Modern Indian Cuisine, 1541 International Parkway, Lake Mary, 407-377-5739, tamaracuisine.com.
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This article appears in June 3-9, 2026.
